1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the cooling and dispensing of beer, and particularly to a system for cooling beer which travels over an extended distance from storage (e.g., kegs in a walk-in cooler) for dispensing at a remote location. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved system for cooling beer to be dispensed from a container (e.g., a keg) housed in a preliminarily air-cooled environment such as a walk-in cooler that is cooled with a primary heat exchanger and wherein the beer travels to a secondary or auxiliary heat exchanger for a preliminary cooling at a glycol reservoir, and subsequently the glycol and beer travel in adjacent but separate bores in heat exchange relationship from the auxiliary heat exchanger, over a substantial distance to the remote location for dispensing. In one embodiment, a tower carries the spigot and has a hollow interior that includes a bore for containing glycol transmitted to the tower via the second flowline, and the second flowline terminates at the tower with multiple vertical runs of a flowline within the tower for transmitting beer to the spigot in heat exchange relation with the glycol in the tower.
2. General Background
Many commercial establishments serve draft beer at a bar area which is located some distance from the storage container, usually housed in a walk-in cooler or the like wherein the beer is kept at a refrigerated temperature with the surrounding cooled air. Many restaurants, for example, will maintain four or five kegs of beer in a walk-in cooler which has such an air-cooled environment. These walk-in coolers typically have their own heat exchanger which hopefully keeps the interior airspace of the cooler, for example, at 35.degree.-40.degree. F. so that anything contained within this walk-in cooler assumes the temperature of the surrounding air-cooled environment. A problem occurs wherein the walk-in cooler is used extensively, such as during peak hours. When this extensive use occurs, the door to the walk-in cooler is opened and closed repeatedly, causing the temperature of air within the cooler to rise which results in a rise of the temperature of goods (e.g., beer kegs) contained within the cooler. Thus, for example, if the cooler is subjected to extensive use, the temperature of the beer inside the kegs which are housed in the cooler can rise to a beginning temperature of, for example, 50.degree.-60.degree. F., or higher. This beginning temperature for the beer at the keg will result in warmer product at the spigot and its tower where the beer is dispensed to the user. This problem can be particularly acute wherein the beer travels from the keg to the spigot a distance of, for example, in excess of one hundred (100) feet.
It has been known to cool beer in flowlines which include multiple bores or lumens and in which a bore carrying beer runs side-by-side a bore carrying coolant. A double bore flowline having one line containing a refrigerant, such as a glycol, and the other line containing the beer is commercially available. The two bores are maintained adjacent one another so that the coolant hopefully maintains a desirably cold condition of the beer between the keg and the spigot. However, if the beer begins at an ambient temperature which is relatively high, such as, for example, 60.degree. F., it may be undesirably hot to the consumer when it reaches the spigot.
Several patents have been issued which relate to the problem of pre-cooling a beer product after it has left the keg. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,376,373; 2,346,933; and 2,248,637 describe variations of pre-cooling beer after it has left a container or keg but, before it gets to the spigot or tap. These systems do not use the same heat exchanger to both pre-cool the beer before it enters a flowline to the spigot and to provide refrigerant flow to a bore flowing side-by-side in a dual bore line with the beer.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,541,709; 2,598,751; 4,437,319; 4,676,400; 2,205,318; and 2,554,322 relate generally to pre-cooling of beer with various heat exchangers before the beer leaves a dispensing tap.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,682,160 discloses a system for pre-cooling beer with cooled water after leaving a container or keg and then again at the tower area in a sump-type relationship.
U.S Pat. No. 4,437,319, issued to F. M. Iannelli, entitled "Beverage Dispensing Device", discloses a beverage cooling device which mounts on top of a cabinet so that a warm beverage, such as beer carried in a keg is cooled prior to flowing out of a faucet. The apparatus includes a cylindrical container having an evaporator coil positioned closely adjacent an inner wall and a beverage dispensing coil centrally positioned within the container. A space is provided between the inner wall of the container and the beverage dispensing coil so as to permit ice to build up on the wall of the container. A power-operated propellor is centrally located within the container for circulating water over the layer of ice and around the beverage dispensing coil to enhance the cooling of the beer flowing through the coil. A temperature sensor is carried in the water between the ice layer and the beverage cooling coil for controlling the operation of a compressor for maintaining the proper temperature of water in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,400, issued to Lamont et al, entitled "Liquid Dispensing System", discloses a method and apparatus for dispensing beverages permitting the use of water as a coolant and utilizing parasitic cooling from a walk-in cooler. At least one supply tube for a beverage leads from a container for that beverage through a cooling manifold to a dispensing tap through a conduit assembly. The conduit assembly includes a tube which enwraps one or more beverage lines and a second tube which enwraps the first tube. Coolant passes between the first tube and the beverage lines to keep the beverage lines at a desired temperature from the walk-in cooler to the remote dispensing tap. At the tap, the coolant enters a passage between the first or intermediate tube and the outer tube and returns to the walk-in cooler. In the cooler, there coolant passes through a cooling coil positioned at the discharge for the primary cooler refrigeration system. A pump in the cooler provides the necessary energy to circulate the coolant through the system.
The present invention provides an improved system for cooling beer that is to be dispensed from a container (e.g., a common beer keg) which is housed in a preliminary air-cooled environment, such as a walk-in cooler. The present invention features an auxiliary heat exchanger having a glycol reservoir to preliminarily lower the temperature of the beer being dispensed from the keg or container immediately downstream of the container outlet and prior to transmission of the beer and the glycol beer multibore flowline transmitting beer from the walk-in cooler area to the remote location. Thus, with the present invention, the auxiliary reservoir temperature can determine the preliminary temperature of the beer prior to transmission rather than the air temperature of the walk-in cooler which is subject to rapid temperature fluctuation during peak use.